Cooling apparatus



.Oct. 16, 1928. V

E. H. STEEDMAN COOLING APPARATUS Filed May 21, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet Oct. 16, 1928.

E. H. STEEDMAN COOLING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 21, 1927 v A1- ro eMe Y6.

Patented Oct. 16, 1928.

UNITED STATES,

1,688,158 PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN H. STEEDMAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T CURTIS MANUFACTUR- ING COMPANY, OF WELLSTON, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

COOLING ArrAnA'rUs.

Application filed May 21,

that are used in connection with multi-stage compr ssors for cooling the compressed medium between the stages of compression.

One object of my invent-ion is to provide an intercooler for multi-stage compressors that is compact, highly eflicient and of such design that the intercooler is atmospherically cooled instead of water cooled.

Another object is to provide a cooling apparatus Whose tubes or hollow members thru which a compressed medium circulates are protected from injury in a novel manner.

Another object is to provide an air cooling apparatus that is inexpensive to construct and easy to assemble.

To this end I have devised a. cooling apparatus that comprises a fan built into a fly wheel, and one or more tubes, conduits or hollow members through which the medium to be cooled circulates, arranged in close proximity to said fan, within the rim of the fly wheel, so as to cause said rim to act substantially as a housing that protects said tubes from injury and also causes substantially all of the air set in motion by the fan to be directed over said tubes. While I have herein illustrated my invention embodied in an air cooling apparatus-of the kind commonly referred to as an intercooler that is used in connection with a multi-stage compressor for cooling the air between successive stages of compression, I wish it to be-understood that my invention is applicable to an aftercooler, i. e., an apparatus that is used for cooling'the air that is discharged from a compressor, and is also applicable to a condenser for cooling and condensing a refrigerant discharged from a compressor.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a top plan view of a two-stage air compressor equippe with an intercooler constructed in accordance with my invention. Figure 2 isa side elevational view of said compressor.

Figure 3 is an end view of said compressor.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view, illustrating how the cooling capacity of the intercooler can be increased easily by simply arranging more cooling tubes within the rim of the fly wheel.

Figure 5 is a side elevational View of a cooling tube bent to form a plurality of coils or 1927. Serial No. 193,238.

annular ortions arranged one within the other in t e same vertical plane.

Figure 6 is an edge view of the cooling tube shown in Figure 5; and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a portion of a cooling tube equipped with a metallic heat absorption means arranged on the'interior of same so as to insure heat passing from the medium being cooled to the wall of said tube over which air circulates.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, A designates the low pressure cylinder of a two-stage compressor which is provided with an air inlet opening 1, as shown in Figure 1,

through which air passes into the low pressure cylinder through a port in the head of said cylinder that is controlled by an inlet valve 2, shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. After said air has been compressed in the low pressure cylinder A, it escapes from said cylinder past the discharge valve 3 in the head of the cylinder into a low pressure discharge passageway 4 in the head 5 of the cylinder block and then into an intercooler whic causes said air to be cooled substantially back to atmospheric temperature. Thereafter, the cooled air passes from the intercooler into a suction chamber 6 in the head 5 of the cylinder block, thence into the high pressure cylinder B through an inlet port in the head of said cylinder controlled by an inlet valve 7, and after being compressed to the desired pressure in the cylinder B, said air escapes from said cylinder past a discharge valve 8 through an outlet 9 that is connected by a conduit (not shown) to a suitable reservoir.

The intercooler above referred to that is used to cool the air between successive stages of compression so as to reduce the pressure and temperature of the air that is to be compressed in the high pressure cylinder, comprises a fan 0 combined with the fly wheel of the compressor in such a manner that the blades of said fan are arranged within the rim 10 of the fly wheel, and one or more tubes, conduits or other hollow members D connected with the low pressure discharge passageway 4 and the suction chamber 6 in the head 5 of the cylinder block and arranged effectively within the rim 10 of the fly wheel at one side of the fan C in the fly wheel; By combining the cooling tubes with the fly wheel of the compressor in this manner I insure substantially all of the air set in motion by the fan hso blades in the fly wheel being directed over the cooling tubes, thereby producing an exceptionally eflicient intercooler, and I also insure the cooling tubes of the intercooler being protected against injury, due, of course, to the fact that the rim 10 of the fly wheel forms an eflicient guard for said tubes. Such a struc ture is also inexpensive to manufacture; it is compact and it is easy to assemble, as I have utilized the rim of the fly Wheel to take the place of the housing or casing which is used in conventional intercoolers for directing the air from the fan over the cooling tubes.

The particular form, of the cooling tubes is immaterial, so far as my broad idea is concerned, but in most instances the intercooler will comprise one or more substantially annular-shaped, tubular members through which the medium to be cooled circulates, arranged in one or more vertical planes within the rim of the fly wheel, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4. If it is desired to increase the cooling capacity of the intercooler a plurality of cooling tubes can be arranged side by side or in parallel vertical planes within the rim 10 of the fly wheel, as shown in Figure 4. The structure through which the medium to be cooled circulates can be formed either from a plurality of tubes bent to form annular portions arranged one within the other, as shown in Figure 3, or substantially the same effect can be obtained by bending a single tube D, so as to form a plurality of coils or substantially annular portions arranged one within the other, as shown in Figure 5.

It is optional whether the intercooler tubes are connected directly to the cylinder head, or whether manifolds or adapters 11 and 12 are used, as shown in Figure 3. When a single tube is used, as shown in Figure 5, the op posite ends of said tubes are connected directly to the head 5 of the cylinder block, so as to communicate with the low pressure discharge passageway 4 and the suction chamber 6.

If desired, the cooling tubes of the intercooler can be provided with external radiating fins 13, as shown in Figure 1 to 6, or said tubes can be provided with an internal heat absorption means so as to insure the heat passing from the medium being cooled to the wall of the tube over which air is forced by the fan 0. In Figure 7 of the drawings I have illustrated a portion of a coolin tube D constructed in this manner, sa1d tube being equipped with an internal heat absor tion means formed by one or more metal we s 14 arranged on the interior of the tube and preferably directly connected to the side wall of the tube by a permanent metallic bond produced by soldering, tinning or any other suitable bonding method that will insure the heat absorbed by said web or webs 14 passing directly to the side wall of the tube.

A compressor equipped with an air cooling apparatus of the kind above described, whethshape or arrangement er used as an intercooler, an aftercooler, Or a condenser, is com act; it is highly eflicient, due to the fact t at it comprises a tubular structure of relativel great area for the medium to be cooled, tfl relationship with the fan that substantially all of the air set in motion by the fan will be directed over said structure; it is rugged enough to successfully withstand comparatively rough usage, due to the fact that the delicate cooling tubes are housed within and protected by the rim on the fly wheel of the compressor; and it is inexpensive to construct and easy to assemble, due to the fact that the fan is built into the fly wheel of the compressor and the rim of sa1d fly wheel is used as a casing or housin that directs the air from the fan over the coo in tubes and also as a guard or shield for the coo ing tubes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A cooling apparatus, comprisin a fan formed by blades on a fly wheel, an tubes, conduits or hollow members through which a medium to be cooled circulates, housed in said fly wheel.

2. A cooling apparatus, comprising a fan combined with a fly Wheel, and tubes, conduits or other hollow members through which a medium to be cooled circulates, arranged so that the rim of the fly wheel acts as a housing for said tubes which protect them from in ury and also causes air from the fan to be directed over said tubes.

3. A coolin apparatus, comprising a fly wheel equipped with fan blades, and a tubular structure through which a medium to be cooled circulates, arranged within the rim of said fly wheel between said fan blades and the body of the machine of which the fly wheel forms a part. 7 4. A cooling apparatus for a multi-stage compressor, comprisin a fly wheel, a fan, intercooler tubes throug which. a compresed medium circulates between successive stages of compression, arranged in the path of circulation produced by said fan, and a rim on said fly wheel that directs substantially all of the air from the fan over said tubes and also protects said tubes from injury.

5. A cooling apparatus, comprising a fly wheel equipped with fan blades, and a substantially annular-tubular member through which a medium to be cooled circulates, arranged within the rim of said fly wheel in close proximity to said fan blades. 1

6. A cooling apparatus, com rising a fly wheel equipped with fan bladzes arranged within the rim of the fly wheel, and a tubular structure through which a medium to be cooled circulates, arranged within the rim of said fly wheel and comprising a plurality of substantially annular members arranged one within the other.

at is arranged in such III 7. A cooling apparatus, comprising a fly wheel provided with fan blades and with a rim that surrounds said blades, a plurality of cooling tubes housed within the rim of the fly wheel, a manifold attached to one end of said tubes, and a manifold attached to the opposite end of said tubes.

8. Acooling apparatus, comprising a fly wheel equipped with fan blades, and a cooling tube through which a medium being compressed circulates, arranged within the rim of said fly wheel and provided with an internal heat absorption means for insuring a relatively high rate of heat transfer from said medium to the wall of said tube.

9. A cooling apparatus, comprising a fly wheel equipped with fan blades, and a cooling tube through which a medium being compressed circulates, arranged within the rim oi": said fly wheel and provided with a heat absorbing web arranged on the interior of said tube and connected by a metallic bond with the side wall of said tube.

EDWIN H. STEEDMAN. 

